Cups are no picnic
Friday, 17th Aug 2018Kallum contrasts cup priorities as Jam Tarts are served up before the Pars go down to the woods
Kallum Higginbotham skippered the young Dunfermline team that knocked the holders Inverness Caley Thistle out of the Irn Bru Cup on Tuesday night at the Tulloch Caledonian Stadium. Talking about the second round draw that has sent them away to English National League side Boreham Wood, Kallum said:-
“It is what it is, we need to go down there and play the game. It is not ideal but it is part and parcel of the competition. It is another cup competition but definitely not high on clubs’ priority list. It will be good to go down there and it will be good experience especially for the young boys.”
Boreham Wood and Sutton United qualified for this year’s Irn Bru Cup by virtue of finishing fourth and third in last season’s National League. They defeated AFC Fylde and Sutton United in the Conference Play Off before losing out to ten man Tranmere Rovers in the Wembley final.
Kallum was puzzled by the composition of the opponents in the Irn Bru Cup that included not only Lowland League and Highland League teams but also teams from the League of Ireland, Northern Irish Premier League and the Welsh Premier:-
“I don’t know where else in any other country or league you would find opposition from different leagues in the same cup. I can’t get my head round it but I don’t organise cup competitions, I just take part in them and play if selected.
“Every game you go into you want to win, especially cup competitions. It is always nice to get to finals and lift a cup.
“On Tuesday night the gaffer used this competition to give the young boys experience and I thought Tuesday night was perfect for the young boys. It was against some good competition, if it is not high on the priority list then give the young boys that first team experience.”
In contrast Kallum agreed that the Betfred Cup tie against Hearts will be much higher up the priority list.
“Everyone wants to play in these sorts of games. I think they have sold nearly 4500 tickets. It will be a great atmosphere against a great club and a great team who is flying high at the minute.
“We will go into it and be positive like we have been in every game so far. We had a set back on Saturday and we need to put that behind us and look forward to this coming Saturday. We will test ourselves against a Premiership side where we all want to be playing as well.”
Kallum feels that the positivity of the Pars fans was in contrast to Hearts support in last year’s meeting but this time they could have a big effect on the outcome:-
“If they are booing every touch or calling for the manager’s head then you could see what can happen at Tynecastle last year. I thought we were the better team, we deservedly got the result that we needed.
“If the fans were on their side and it was a different occasion then I think it would have been a lot harder to go and play there. They come here on Saturday with the backing of the travelling support.
“Dunfermline fans always come out in their numbers, whether we are at home or away. I always praise the fans, they are brilliant and always back us. Hopefully they can be just as vocal as the away support this Saturday. We will need them throughout the game and hopefully we can get the result for the fans as well.”
It will be a really tough game, one that I know everyone in our dressing room are looking forward to. These are the games that you get into football for.”
The Hearts win over Celtic last Saturday has made everyone in Scottish football sit up and Kallum warned that the Jambos will arrive at East End Park full of confidence.
“They will be coming here fully expecting to win. We are the underdogs and hopefully we can cause a cup upset.”
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